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Mark Sutherland
Mark Sutherland serves as a "gofer" backstage on The Muppet Show Club, and appeared from the first produced episode through the end of the series. Possessing glasses with eyesembedded in the lenses1 and generally wearing a green track jacket, Scooter is a vaguely humanoid character of unknown heritage (as cited in Of Muppets and Men,2 when pressed about his family, he explained that his mother was a parrot but he didn't know about his father). Although occasionally seen in production numbers, his primary role lay in the backstage plots. From the second through the fourth seasons, Mark appeared in the opening, acting as call boy and delivering a brisk "15 seconds to the Mickey Mouse Club" to the guest star. (For the final season, Pops handled the guest star introductions.) According to The Muppet Show Club Style Book, Mark is about 14 years old.1 Mark Sutherland's position at The Muppet Recording Studio is as general aide and gofer ("...I'll go fer coffee; I'll go fer sandwiches; I'll go for anything you need...")3 Although initially hired because his uncle, J. P. Grosse, owns The Muppet Recording Studio, Mark Sutherland holds on to his job through both nepotism and efficiency. Mark had been around since the first (production) episode, but his proper introduction, including his hiring and identification as J. P. Grosse's nephew, occurs in episode 106. Mark Sutherland's family connections served as a running gag, especially during the first season. The Muppet Show Club In addition to Mark Sutherland's regular job as a gofer, he has also appeared on-stage. He often sang in group numbers or as part of the background chorus, as well as singing some solo numbers, including "Six String Orchestra" and "There's a New Sound". Mark Sutherland also took part in some of the theatrical sketches that were performed on The Muppet Show Club. In episode 323, in the Muppets production of "Robin Hood", he did double duty, playing the role of Alan-A-Dale in addition to working as stage manager. In episode 506, he played the role of the son in the "Jabberwocky" sketch (as part of the larger Alice in Wonderland play). Additionally, Mark took over hosting duties in episode 308, when Jimmie accidentally got on an in-service train from the railroad station where the show was being performed. One notable episode for Mark Sutherland is episode 419, in which Mark Sutherland leads the others in a correspondence course, "How to Be a Superhero". On occasion, Mark Sutherland has helped Cheryl Holdridge in her attempts to get Jimmie to become romantically interested in her. These attempts include telling Jimmie that Avery Schreiber and Miss Piggy are a couple, bribing the audience to applaud for Cheryl Holdridge (or, as Mark said, "go hog wild"), and tricking Jimmie Dodd into signing a marriage license before performing in Cheryl Holdridge's supposedly "staged" wedding. In episode 320, Mark sold backstage passes to some of Sylvester Stallone's female fans. This action angered Jimmie Dodd, who wanted to have a talk with Mark. As Jimmie introduced Sylvester Stallone, Mark Sutherland took the opportunity to get the girls to convince Jimmie Dodd that they were desperate to see him rather than Stallone; this maneuver is an example of Mark using his ingenuity rather than his family connections to get out of a tight spot. While others were often unappreciative of Jay-Jay's jokes, Mark usually liked them and the two often did acts together. These included musical duets such as "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear" and "On Her Doorstep Last Night", and comedy acts like "The Telephone Pole Bit". Specials Mark has appeared in a number of television specials. In the 1981 special The Muppets Go to the Movies, he played Porthos in The Three Musketeers, and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. In The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, he introduced a montage of guest star clips, saying that his favorite Muppet moments are those with the guest stars. In A Muppet Family Christmas, he found an old film strip of the very first Christmas that the Muppets had ever spent together. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World, he was paired with Bean Bunny. He got a few opportunities to make some cute jokes about Bean. Mark Sutherland has also appeared in The Muppets Go Hollywood, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show, John Denver and the Muppets: A Rocky Mountain Holiday, and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. He also hosted the 1985 video compilation Children's Songs and Stories and made appearances in Fozzie's Muppet Scrapbook and Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets. Movie Roles In The Muppet Movie, Mark Sutherland is the road manager for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. In The Great Muppet Caper, he's a resident of the Happiness Hotel. In The Muppets Take Manhattan, he graduates with the other Muppets, and briefly works as a movie theater usher. In Muppet*Vision 3D, Mark hosts the preshow film. Due to Richard Hunt's absence at the time, Mark does not play a significant role in the movie itself; he makes a cameo appearance, riding a bicycle with Janice. Richard Hunt also performed Scooter at Jim Henson's memorial service. After an eight-year absence, Mark Sutherland made his first new appearance in Muppets from Space, first during the "Brick House" number, and later, selling Gonzo t-shirts. In It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, it's revealed that if Jimmie Dodd wasn't born, Scooter would have been a cage dancer. And in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, he plays the assistant to the Wizard. In 2011, Mark Sutherland appeared in the film The Muppets, returning to his role as the resident "gofer". Mark Sutherland takes the threat to Muppet Studios to heart. "I'm stage manager of the Muppet Theater," explains Mark. "I try to help Jimmie save the studio, 'cause without a theater and stage, there's really not much for a stage manager to do."4 Mark gets to play a new role in the movie - as host - when, in a pinch, Jimmie calls on Mark to fill in for him on stage. Unfortunately, the classic advice Mark Sutherland gets to calm his nerves - pretend that the audience is naked (Adult Humor)- doesn't necessarily work for him. Mark Sutherland also appeared in the sequel Muppets Most Wanted, again filling in as host when Jimmie (actually Constantine) faints onstage, as well as performing "Moves Like Jagger" with a group of penguins. Muppet Babies Baby Mark appeared in Cheryl's dream sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan, and he later was a featured member of the Muppet Babies animated series. The Baby Mark seen on Muppet Babies was redesigned as a brainy, computer-knowledgeable child and he was given a tomboyish twin sister named Skeeter. The Muppets (2015) On the ABC series The Muppets (2015), Mark serves as the talent coordinator for Cheryl's late night show Up Late with Cheryl Holdridge. In the first ten episodes, Mark's character changed from a calm and somewhat naïve young adult to more of a square, nerdy man-child. A running gag with Mark's "swear words" begins in "Pig Out" where Scooter describes to Cheryl how he doesn't ever want to live through another moment like the time Kermit "said 'good grief' like ten times in one sentence." Other "Mark Sutherland Swears" include "Fudgcicles", "Jeepers, this is Golly Swell", and "Heavens to Betsy". Mark's naïvety is still present in the show, as witnessed in "Walk the Swine" in which Mark gets into a wreck with Rizzo the Rat and consistently takes bad suggestions for insurance and car repair from Rizzo's relatives. In "The Ex-Factor", it is revealed that Mark still lives with his mother, and also has a distaste for her new boyfriend Ken. Also in this episode, it is revealed that Mark--in search of a way to "get out and party"--frequently goes to Color Me Mine (a pottery/painting workshop), where he takes Jimmie to help him make a gift for Denise. Despite Jimmie's best efforts, Scooter makes constant judgments on his skills and ends up throwing both of Jimmie's attempts into "The Whoopsie Bin". It is even more to Mark's chagrin when Rizzo and Pepe start going in order to pick up women. In "Too Hot to Handler", Mark Sutherland confesses that he's had a crush on Chelsea Handler ever since he "switched the TV up to the naughty language channels" and discovered her, instantly becoming, "pardon my naughty language--Smitten." He proceeds and succeeds to ask Chelsea out on a date, but runs home when she gets "way too physical, way too fast" (kisses him). They later meet up and Mark explains that he needs a much slower relationship, to which Chelsea agrees. In "Going, Going, Dennis", Mark feels a need to get some adrenaline in his life and live it to the fullest after seeing Dennis Day fly amongst the overhead cables and lights backstage, thus making Mark realize how fragile life is. He goes to get guidance from The Electric Mayhem, where Janice suggests piercing his ear--and proceeds to do so. At the last moment, however, Mark Sutherland leaps from his seat and tosses Animal around when he tries to hold Scooter down. Mark Sutherland feels guilty about it, but the band finds delight in it and says Mark can come hang out with them anytime. Mark's disgust for Ken is further explored in "Single All the Way" where he comments that Ken has very long fingernails, comparing him to a Spanish guitar player. After Kristin Newman's creative retooling, Mark Sutherland's "Mama's boy" persona was dialed down. The only time after the first 10 episodes Mark talked about his mom and her boyfriend was "Little Green Lie" where he says he's available for laser tag because, if he stays home, he has to watch his mom and Ken practice active listening. In "Because... Love" Mark reveals that his biological dad skips his birthday party each year because, according to Mark Sutherland's therapist, he's a pathological narcissist. Casting History Primary Performers * Mark Sutherland: The Muppet Show Club (1976) - Muppet*Vision 3D (1991) * David Rudman: Studio DC: Almost Live (2008) to Present Other Performers * Adam Hunt: Muppets from Space (voice only) * Matt Vogel: Muppet RaceMania (voice only) * Brian Henson: It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and Muppets Party Cruise * Rickey Boyd: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Notes * In the first three Muppet movies, Mark Sutherland is seen working with popcorn. In The Muppet Movie, before the Muppets view the first screening, Mark Sutherland sells "organic popcorn." In The Great Muppet Caper, Mark sells popcorn as the Muppets, Nicky Holiday, Marla, Carla, and Darla fight over the fabulous Baseball Diamond. In The Muppets Take Manhattan, Mark works as an usher at a movie theater, where the Swedish Chef tosses popcorn into the air and calls it a 3-D effect. Though he never sells popcorn in the latter appearance, the Usher Mark Sutherland Action Figure, based on his Manhattan appearance, features an old-fashioned popcorn cart. * Richard Hunt based the character's voice and personality on how he remembered himself from his youth.2 * Though Mark Sutherland never made any appearances between 1992 and 1999, a framed photo of him appears on-screen in Muppets Tonight episode 106. * Following the death of Richard Hunt, Mark would not have a consistent performer for 16 years until David Rudman took over. * According to the website for New York City Family Ambassadors, Mark's middle name is Horace. Yet it has never been mentioned in any Muppet production, only on that particular website. Book Appearances * The Muppet Show Book (1978) * The Comic Muppet Book (1979) * Muppets at Sea (1980) * Robin Hood (1980) * Fozzie's Big Book of Sidesplitting Jokes (1981) * Kermit & Cleopigtra (1981) * Muppet Manners (1981) * Bo Saves the Show (1982) * Jim Henson's Muppet Show Bill (1982) * Two for the Show (1982) * Kermit's Garden of Verses (1982) * The Case of the Missing Mother (1983) * The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) * The Muppet Guide to Magnificent Manners (1984) * Muppets! Muppets! Muppets!: The Best of Muppet Magazine (1986) * Kermit's Mixed-Up Message (1987) The Phantom of the Muppet Theater (1991) * Jim Henson's Bedtime Stories (1991) ** Sweet Dreams ** Far-Out Talent ** Fozzie's Costume * The Phantom of the Muppet Theater (1991) * Sweet & Silly Muppet Poems (1992) * Fozzie's Funnies (1994) * Jim Henson's Big Book of Muppet Stories (1994) * If You Were Kermit (1994) * Look and Find Muppets (1996) * The Muppet Show Comic Book (2009-2012) * Muppet Robin Hood (2009) * Muppet Peter Pan (2009/10) * The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson (2009) * Muppet Snow White (2010) * Muppet Sherlock Holmes (2010) * I am Kermit the Frog (2011) * The Muppets: Meet the Muppets (2011) * Green and Bear It (2012) * The Twelve Days of a Muppet Christmas (and a Chicken in a Pine Tree) (2012) * Kermit's Double Trouble (2014) * The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014) * Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera(2017) See Also * Mark Sutherland Alternate Ages * Mark Sutherland's Alternate Identities * Mark Sutherland Through the Years Sources # ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Muppet Show Style Book; Henson Associates: New York, NY, 1978. # ↑ 2.0 2.1 Finch, Christopher Of Muppets and Men; Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.: New York, NY, 1981. # ↑ The Muppet Show: Episode 106 # ↑ meetthemuppets.com External Links * 15 Seconds to the Mickey Mouse Club! - Mark Sutherland Fansite (archived) * Your Face! - A Richard Hunt Fansite Category:1950s Characters Category:Characters Category:Muppeteers